Northern Shan State’s capital Lashio was nearly deserted on Thursday after most residents fled the city amid intense fighting between Myanmar regime troops and the Myanmar National Democracy Alliance Army (MNDAA) and its allies, rescue teams and residents said.
Fighting broke out in Lashio on July 3 when the MNDAA, a member of the Brotherhood Alliance of ethnic armies, launched an offensive targeting military junta bases and outposts stationed around the town. The offensive marks a new phase in Operation 1027, which started on Oct. 27 last year and resumed last month after the collapse of a Chinese-brokered ceasefire that had held for several months.
Since then, the fighting has escalated in Lashio, which is home to the headquarters of the regime’s Northeastern Military Command. During the clashes the junta has used fighter jets to drop bombs, prompting tens of thousands of residents to flee to nearby towns and villages.
The fighting is ongoing in Lashio, with at least three shell explosions reported in the city on Thursday morning, a rescue team member said.
According to residents who were still in the city on Thursday afternoon, even in areas that are usually bustling, like markets and trade zones, there were few people to be seen, and nearly all businesses had closed. Residential areas appeared deserted with most of those who had lingered behind after an initial exodus early in the week fleeing the city in groups today.
“A few people remain in the city to guard their properties. Fighting is still taking place, although it rained heavily this morning,” he added.
On Wednesday, a woman was killed on the spot when an artillery shell struck No. 9 Ward. The incident came exactly a week after six members of a family including two children were killed when their house was hit by a shell. So far, Lashio residents have not been able to determine who launched the artillery strikes.
When the clashes temporarily paused on Monday and Tuesday, most residents who had decided to stay in Lashio to wait and see how the situation developed took the opportunity to leave, heading for nearby towns like Nant Lan, Taunggyi and Aungban. The mass exodus caused major blockages on all of the routes out of town on both days.
“Due to the crowds, the route from the city to the Sint Inn Phaung Gate was blocked. Lashio residents’ first priority was reaching the Sint Inn Phaung Gate and then heading to Nant Lan. Nant Lan is the junction between northern and southern Shan State, leading to various destinations” in the state, said a Lashio resident who is still in the city.
After two days of calm, the fighting resumed in Lashio on Wednesday morning amid warnings from the military regime that all Lashio residents should leave before Thursday, he added.
As of Thursday, shelling in Lashio had killed over 20 civilians including children and injured 30 in wards Nos. 8, 9 and 10, according to data collected by rescue teams. The Irrawaddy was not able to confirm casualty figures for the whole city or information on the gender ratio of the victims.
Lashio comprises 12 wards.
Meanwhile, the deserted city has been hit by a wave of looting perpetrated by gangs, a Lashio-based rescue team member told The Irrawaddy.
“They carried residents’ [stolen] property away in cars. We are now trying to determine who they are, but we haven’t been able to verify it so far,” he said.
The MNDAA and allied groups seized Light Infantry Battalion 291’s headquarters in the south of Lashio Township on Saturday after junta troops fled the base for the city on Friday night.
Heavy fighting has rocked northern Shan’s Lashio, Hsipaw, Kyaukme, Mongmit and Nawnghkio townships and Mogoke Township in Mandalay Region for over a week, forcing civilians out of their homes.
After the Brotherhood Alliance—which comprises the MNDAA, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army—launched the first phase of Operation 1027 late last year, it swiftly captured 24 battalion headquarters, hundreds of frontline bases and around 20 towns, and seized control of vital trade routes with China. Fighting was suspended after the ceasefire was brokered by Beijing on Jan. 10.
The MNDAA resumed its offensive against Lashio after the TNLA restarted operations on June 15, complaining that the junta was violating the ceasefire by repeatedly bombing territory it controlled.
The Brotherhood Alliance has dubbed the latest offensive “Operation 1027: Phase 2” and is battling junta troops in the northern Shan townships, as well as Mogoke in Mandalay Region alongside the People’s Defense Force of the civilian National Unity Government.
